Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-17


commissions, reads as follows:
In cities of the first and second grades
Of the second class all powers snd duties
with respect to the appointment. regua
ton, government, and control Of the police
shall, as now, be vested in and exercised by
board, consisting of the mayor, who shall
be president, and four commissioners, who
shall be electors and freeholders of the city,
and a majority shall constitute quorum.
The suggestion is that All amendment be
secured 10 this law. so that instead of read
ing In cities of the first and second grades
of the second class" Il may include all cit
les of the second class Ii might be, OF
course. that other cities of the second class
and third grade would object 10 the
police commission. but, 80 far as
have been able to learn. the objections
TO this plan are no; so serious as have been
urged against the other plans.
Incidentally, | mentioned the police
judge at the beginning of this item, and
that brings me to some points which | have
heard urged against the creation of police
judgeship in Springfield. As a general
proposition it is probably well to divorce
the executive and judiciary departments Of
a city a. completely as possible, but
whether Springfield is yet ready for so rad
ical change is somewhat doubtful. Ac-
cOrding to the provisions of the bill now
pending before the legislature the police
Judge, police court prosecutor and clerk
would receive salaries of s 800. 5000 and
5000 respectively. These salaries, together
with the incidental expenses of the court
would amount to about 81, 600 . year. For
these salaries the taX-payes would
have to be responsible, while all
fines collected would be paid into the city
treasury. 1t is certain. apparently. that
a very considerable sum of money would
each year be gained by the city. by the
creation of the police judgeship, but really
there is no certainty about it. court pre-
sided over by police judge is court of
record, and in all cases tried the witnesses
receive certain fees. In case the city fails
10 make case, il must put its hand in its
pocket and pay these fees. and If the pris-
Oner is too poor to pay his fine and has 10
20 to the stOne-pile, the city, am informed,
also has to pay the witness fees. 1t will
readily be seen that the aggregate amount
of these witness fees in a year would be
very handsome sum, and the taxpayers
would have TO pay it. By the present ar
rangement the city pays no witness fees,
and. in fact, with the exception of merely
a nominal salary. the mayor depends not on
the taxpayers for his suppOst, but upon the
class of petty offenders that are daily to be
seen In his court. Ii may be that If the
total number of arrests and convictions and
the aggregate amount of fines levied re-
manned the same, under police judge, as
they are now. the city would be ahead
few dollars, but there is no certainty that
they will remain the same. 1t is now to
the interest Of the mayor to have the police
do their strictest duty, but place him and a
police judge on comfortable salaries
with no fee attachment and
that interest will be gone and
the number of arrests and convictions will
soon fall away. By the present arrange
ment, although the mayOrality is fat Of
fee. the money he receives does not come
out of the city treasury, but out OF the
pockets of criminals and offenders against
the municipal laws.
This is a matter which the citizens Of
Springfield out TO give some careful think
ing. 1t is worthy thorough investigation.
Many inquiries nave recently been made
concerning the whereabouts OF T. K. Fer
guson and John Slater, whose real name is
John Schlueter. They were the proprie-
tors of the Ferguson L Slater dramatic
combination, now defunct, which opened
the season at Blacks opera house on the |
l1th of October. Each OF the young men
had had just enough of the show business
to get thoroughly infatuated with it. They
desired To get out on the road and show
other managers just how much money could |
be made in the show business. The Ques-
ton of press notices bothered the young !
managers not a little. All attraction with |
out press notices was not to be thought of, |
but their company had never given a per- |
formance, and consequently had DO puffs-
at ten cents a line. A bright idea struck |
Ferguson, and he acted on it Instanter. He |
went TO a well known young newspaper man |
and dramatic critic, of this city, and |
paid him literally for writing up about |
two columns of trst-clasS notices which !
were credited 70 papers that never existed |
in towns that nobody ever heard of. These |
notices were printed on press-notice slips !
with which every dramatic editor and ad- |
vertising solicitor is familiar. and headed in |
bOld-faced type, Opinions of the press"
The company started out with flying colors, |
and in a few days, to use Jim Fiske'S famous |
saying. it went where the woodbine twin |
eth. The walking was still good and the |
members of the combination managed af- !
ter few weeks, Is reach their homes. foot |
sore and weary. Neither Ferguson nor |
their failure, and both finally drifted to |
New York City. They are still in the
metropolis-SIater clerking in a large |
clothing house and Ferguson with Buffalo |
Bills Wild West show. Their friends in |
Springfield will be glad to know that they !
are doing well.
Frederick Warde's leading man, Mr.. |
Chas. ID. Herman, was recently married, |
and on the evening following the ceremony |
Mrs. Herman occupied box at the Park |
theater in Brooklyn. where the Warde or
ganizatiOn gave performance of Richard |
III. Mr.. Herman is the Richmond" OF |
the cast, and does not appear on the stage |
until the last act, when his entrance is made |
10 the strains of .'RichmOnd's March" |
played by the full orchestra and ending |
with flourish of drums and trumpets. On |
this occasion, however. the doughty Rich |
mond" had hardly set foot upon the stage |
when the orchestra struck up the Wed |
ding March" and continued it until the |
actor was well in the center of the boards, |
when, instead of the military salute from |
his officers with which Richmond" was ac-
customed to be received, he was greeted by |
hearty grasp of the hand from his com
panions. The audience was quickly alive |
to the situation. and poured forth volume |
of applause which continued sufficiently |
long to allow the actor to recover his self |
possession, else, he declares, he could not |
heve spoken line. Mr.. Herman says he |
does not know who arranged the reception, |
but he has shrewd suspicion that Mr.. |
Warde knew all ab, ut il beforehand.
MAX.
DRIVERS MISFORTUNE.